SOS
by iluvmusso4ever11390
Summary: Lilly and Oliver witness a bank robbery at the skate park. A simple newscast leads the robbers right to Lilly and Oliver, leading the two friends on a chase for their lives.
1. Robbery at the Skate Park

**Hey all! I was inspired to write this while listening to "S.O.S." by the Jonas Brothers. Okay, the story really doesn't have anything to do with the song, just the titles are the same, so it's not a songfic. Hope you enjoy it anyway.**

**Summary: At the skate park, Lilly and Oliver witness a bank robbery and even catch sight of the robbers' faces. A live news report in front of Lilly's house leads the robbers right to the two friends. Now it's a fight for their lives as Lilly and Oliver try to escape the robbers' hide-out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana. I wish I did but, sadly, not everyone can be that lucky.**

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Chapter One: Robbery at the Skate Park

The wheels of Lilly Truscott's skateboard whizzed across the half-pipe as she showed off her latest moves. She concentrated all of her might in making sure that each move was precise. As she reached the bottom of the half-pipe, she turned to her best friend, Oliver Oken. "What do you think?" she asked hopefully.

Oliver shrugged. "I've seen better," he replied. Lilly's mouth opened in shock, but Oliver just smiled and shook his head. "Lilly, chill out. I'm kidding. It was awesome."

Lilly gave him a playful shove. "Why do you have to do that?" she asked. "You know how sensitive I am!" But she could not hide the smile creeping up her face and tried to shield her blushing cheeks by a curtain of her long, blonde hair.

"Hey, wanna go get some ice cream or something?" Oliver asked, setting down his own skateboard and putting his helmet on over his shaggy brown hair.

Lilly giggled and shook her head. "It's always food with you, isn't it?" she asked. "Well, it is pretty hot out. Ice cream sounds really good to me."

"Cool! Let's go," Oliver said, hopping onto his board and skating away. Lilly followed.

Ever since their other best friend Miley Stewart left for the summer to visit her relatives in Tennessee, Lilly and Oliver had been hanging out together a whole lot more. It reminded Lilly of times when they were younger and they would do _everything_ together. However, lately, she'd been having these strange feelings whenever she and Oliver were alone together. She even considered the fact that she might like him more as a friend. But whenever she would think this, a voice in the back of her head would speak up.

_Are you crazy? You can't have feelings for Oliver. He's been your best friend since kindergarten! He's pretty much like the brother you never had. Don't you think it would be awkward if he found out you liked him?_

Lilly tried to ignore this voice from time to time. But sometimes she hoped that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way about her. She smiled as Oliver handed her a large chocolate ice cream cone and proceeded to eat his own. She tried to stifle her giggling as he got chocolate all over his face, looking very cute when he did it.

"So, Oliver," she began somewhat hesitantly, "h-have you given any thought to the back-to-school dance in three weeks?"

"Ugh! I try not to," Oliver replied, popping the last piece of the cone into his mouth. "Who wants to think about school during the summer? Especially when we have few precious weeks of summer left!"

"I know," Lilly said quickly. "I-I was just curious if you had thought about...you know...who you might wanna ask?" she finished, feeling her cheeks turn bright red.

"Not really," Oliver replied. "Why? Do you know someone who wants to go with me?" he asked hopefully.

"N-no," Lilly stammered, certain that her cheeks had turned redder. "I was just...wondering." She spoke the last word in a whisper.

"Oh," Oliver said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

In the silence that followed, Lilly swore silently over and over again inside her head. That was i not /i how she had planned that conversation to go at all. She had hoped that she could hint enough to Oliver that she was really hoping that he would ask her. But she couldn't just come out and ask him without admitting her feelings for him.

Suddenly, several things happened at once. A piercing scream rang through the air followed by several gunshots. Oliver seized Lilly by the arm and pulled her to the ground behind a clump of bushes. He crouched down next to her and the two of them looked around for the source of the noise. It was quickly discovered.

Across the street at the Malibu National Bank, a black car was speeding out of the parking lot rather rapidly. It veered into oncoming traffic, narrowly avoiding hitting three other cars. Sirens were suddenly heard approaching. The black car made a quick U-turn and sped into a darkened alley, almost directly behind the bushes that Lilly and Oliver were hiding in. Police cars whizzed past the alley, not even noticing the car sitting inside it.

Lilly started to stand up, but Oliver pulled her back down just as two men got out of the car. One was shorter with shoulder-length dark hair; the other was taller and more muscular with a shaved head. It was hard to be positive, but the similarities in their faces made Lilly assume that they were brothers.

"Cops gone, Carl?" the stronger one asked.

"Yeah," the shorter one replied. "Coast is clear, Jer. Now let's count our loot!"

"Woah, woah, slow down there," said the first man. "Not here. Wait until we get back to our place. What if someone sees?"

"Oh come on, Jeremy," the one called Carl scoffed. "Do you see anyone around?"

"You never know," Jeremy replied. "Someone could be hiding in those bushes over there."

And then, to Lilly and Oliver's horror, he started walking over to the bushes they were hiding in. Lilly wanted to move, but then the bushes would rustle and their position would be given away. However, if they stayed there, Jeremy would see them and know that they had been listening to everything.

His footsteps grew closer. Instinctively, Lilly reached out and gripped Oliver's hand tightly. Any second now, they were going to be found. And if those guys just robbed a bank, who knew what they would do to eavesdroppers. Jeremy reached for the bush, ready to push it aside...

"Cops!" Carl suddenly shouted. "They're coming this way!" Jeremy let go of the bush and rushed back to the car. Carl was already in the passenger seat. Jeremy got into the driver's seat and quickly backed out of the alley just as two police cars pulled into the area and stopped.

Lilly let out a huge sigh of relief, unable to recall a time where she had ever felt more afraid in her life. Oliver squeezed her hand gently. "You okay?" he asked

"Yeah," Lilly replied, still breathing rather heavily. She noticed that she was still holding Oliver's hand and released it immediately, blushing slightly. Oliver helped her to her feet just as a police officer came walking over.

"You kids all right?" he asked as Lilly and Oliver climbed out of the bush.

"Yeah, thanks," Oliver replied. "You guys could _not_ have picked a better time to show up."

"No problem," the officer said. "Now, let's get you kids home before your parents freak out. We have to set up a perimeter to try and catch these guys before they get away."

The officer led Lilly and Oliver to his police car and drove them back into town. They first stopped at Lilly's house.

"You can let us both out here," Lilly said. "Thanks for the ride." Oliver looked at her questioningly, but Lilly just pulled him out of the car and into her house.

Mrs. Truscott was stirring something on the stove. She looked up as they entered. "Hey, guys. Did you have fun at the skate park?" she asked.

"Yeah, fun. Uhh...mom, can Oliver stay for dinner?" Lilly asked rather hurriedly.

"Of course," Mrs. Truscott replied, peering into the oven. It'll be ready in about twenty minutes. Hope you like meatloaf, Oliver."

"Oh yes, Mrs. Truscott, it's my fav –" Oliver started to say, but Lilly interrupted him.

"Thanks, mom. We'll be in my room." She grabbed Oliver's arm and pulled him up the stairs. It wasn't until they were finally in her bedroom and the door had been shut did she finally release Oliver's arm.

"Lilly, what's up?" Oliver asked as Lilly plopped down on her bed. "You seem so agitated."

"We should've told them," Lilly replied, covering her face with her hands.

"You should've told who what?" Oliver asked again, clearly confused.

"The police, Oliver!" Lilly half-shouted, sitting up suddenly. "We should've told the police about the robbers! We know their names, what they look like, what kind of car they were driving, everything!"

"What?" Oliver exclaimed. "Lilly, are you crazy? What if the robbers find out we ratted them out and the come looking for us?"

"Come on, Oliver," Lilly said. "Do you _really_ think the police would let that happen to us? And besides, how are those robbers ever going to find out it was us? It's not like we'd be televised or something."

"Well, how sure can you be that they didn't see us in the bushes?" Oliver questioned, now pacing around Lilly's room.

"Why are you freaking out so much about this?" Lilly asked. "These creeps stole a lot of money. Don't you want them caught?"

"Well...yeah, I do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I dunno. I guess I'm just..." Oliver suddenly sounded nervous. "I'm paranoid or something. I mean, that was really freaky when that guy was coming towards us. Who knew what they would do to us if they caught us listening!"

"Well, we can't just sit back and do nothing," Lilly protested. "Come on, Oliver. Let's just go to the police station tomorrow morning and tell them what we saw. We can ask to remain anonymous even. No one will know. I mean, if these guys took something of yours, you'd want it back, right?"

Oliver paused a moment before answering. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Lilly. All right. We'll go to the police station tomorrow and tell them what we know."

"There's the Ollie I know and love," Lilly said, smiling. "And, besides, it's not like they know where we live."

"Lilly! Oliver!" Mrs. Truscott called up the stairs. "There are some men here who would like to see you."

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**Suspenseful, right? Even if it's not, pretend that it is. I accept all kinds of comments so...BRING IT ON!**


	2. Live on Channel Six

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Glad you liked it. Hope to get some more this chapter. Enjoy.**

**Oh! And if you get the chance, check out my other story. It's a oneshot called "Dirty Little Secret".**

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Chapter Two: Live on Channel Six

Lilly turned to Oliver, her eyes widening. "No way," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "No way they saw us!"

"What should we do?" Oliver asked as Mrs. Truscott called up the stairs again.

"Well, it's not like they would do something with my mom standing right there," Lilly replied. But then she suddenly second-guessed herself. "Would they?"

"I don't know," Oliver replied. "Here, let me go first. That way, if anything happens, you can run for it. Okay?"

Lilly smiled. Oliver really was a spectacular friend. "Okay," she replied, standing behind him as they descended the staircase.

At the bottom of the stairs, they saw Mrs. Truscott conversing with a man holding a microphone, who was standing on the front porch. He didn't look like one of the robbers. Another man with a camera was standing next to him. Then Lilly realized it; this man was a reporter. He was probably interviewing people who were at the skate park to see if they knew anything about the robbery. She instantly breathed a huge sigh of relief as she and Oliver approached the door.

"Oh, here they are," Mrs. Truscott said to the reporter. "Lilly, Oliver, this is Chris Samuels from Channel Six News. He would like to talk to you about something."

"Thanks, mom," Lilly said. Mrs. Truscott went back to work on the dinner. Lilly turned to the reporter. "So, Mr. Samuels, how can we help you?" she asked.

"I would like to talk to you two about the robbery that took place at the bank this afternoon," Chris Samuels replied. "Someone reported seeing a black car leaving the skate park. The owner of the skate park said that the two of you are normal visitors and you were near the area where the robbers were seen fleeing the scene. Did you by any chance catch a license plate number or hear a name or anything like that?"

"Not just that," Lilly said, starting to get excited. "We saw the robbers! We can give you their names, descriptions, I think they may even have been brothers..."

"This is perfect!" Chris Samuels shouted. He turned to the camera man. "Start filming! We've got something!"

"Lilly!" Oliver hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "What are you-?"

"And we're live in 5...4...3...2...1!" the cameraman interrupted as he started filming Chris.

"Hello, Malibu! This is Chris Samuels with Channel Six News, continuing with our coverage of the recent bank robbery that took place at the Malibu National Bank just a few hours ago. I am here with two eyewitnesses who claim they saw it all!" He turned to face Lilly and Oliver. "Miss, can you tell us what you saw?" he asked Lilly.

"Yes," Lilly replied, ignoring Oliver's silent pleas to stop talking. "There were two guys, I think they were brothers, they looked very similar. One was kinda short and skinny with long, dark hair. I think his name was Carl. And the other guy was really big and muscular with no hair whose name, I believe, was Jeremy."

"Do you confirm these sightings?" Chris Samuels asked, shoving the microphone at Oliver.

"Uhh...well...uhh..." Oliver stammered, his stage fright clearly starting to kick in.

"My friend's a little shy," Lilly said, stepping in front of Oliver. "But he would say that that's what we saw."

"Well, folks," Chris Samuels said, turning back to the camera. "It sounds to me like these bank robbers could be no other that Carl and Jeremy Wilson, two brothers and notorious bank robbers. Hopefully this new information will assist our police in the capture of these dangerous criminals. Thank you very much, Miss...uhh..."

"Lilly. Lilly Truscott," Lilly replied to his unanswered question. "And my friend Oliver Oken." Oliver tried his best to not be visible on the camera, which was difficult considering Lilly was almost a head shorter than him.

"Well, thank you, Lilly and Oliver, for that helpful information," Chris Samuels said. "I'm sure the police will appreciate it greatly. Until next time, this is Chris Samuels with Channel Six News."

"And we're off," the cameraman said, setting his camera down to his side.

"Thanks so much for the information, kids," Chris Samuels said, shaking both Lilly's and Oliver's hands before he and his cameraman left. Lilly went back into the house, not immediately realizing that Oliver was still standing on the front porch.

"Oliver, is everything okay?" Lilly asked.

"Lilly, can I see you upstairs really quick?" Oliver asked, coming back into the house.

"Uhh...sure," Lilly replied, confused.

"Don't be too long," Mrs. Truscott called as they went up the stairs. "Dinner's almost ready."

The minute the door of Lilly's room closed, Oliver rounded on her. "What was that all about?"

"What are you talking about?" Lilly asked.

"You said we were going to make it anonymous!" Oliver replied. "Not only was that not anonymous, but now the entire nation knows our names and where we live!"

"Come on, Oliver, chill out," Lilly said. "Do you honestly think that the robbers would be watching the news? And besides, even if they were watching the news, the police are going to be all over the place looking for them now. Why are you being so paranoid about all of this?"

"I don't know," Oliver replied. "I guess I just keep having these thoughts of horrible things happening to us." He buried his face in his hands in frustration.

Lilly walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Hey," she said softly. "Everything's going to be just fine. Okay? Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing is going to happen to me. We're going to be perfectly safe."

Oliver looked into her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, you're right, Lilly. I don't know why this is freaking me out so much."

"I get why you're freaked, Oliver," Lilly said. "That was scary when those guys were coming towards us. I was freaked too. But, you realize that the police won't let them hurt us, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Oliver replied. "Sorry for freaking out at you, Lils."

"Perfectly understandable, Smokin' Oken."

It was then that Lilly realized how close they were standing to each other; their noses were almost touching. Her hands were still on Oliver's shoulders and his hands, she noticed, were now around her waist. They both realized this and released each other at the same time.

"So...uhh..." Lilly began, trying to cover up the awkward moment. "We should probably go help my mom set the table for dinner since it'll be ready soon."

"Yeah, good idea," Oliver replied, sounding a little embarrassed. He opened the door of Lilly's bedroom and followed her out of it.

As Lilly got out silverware and began setting the table, she couldn't help but realize just how close she had been to kissing her best friend, Oliver Oken.

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**Little bit of Loliver in there, yes. There will be more to come, I promise. You know what will make me feel even better? REVIEWS. Let's post them, people and the next chapter will be submitted momentarily.**


	3. Suspicious Policemen

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Please enjoy this next chapter while I mourn in the fact that the tickets for the Jonas Brothers/Hannah Montana concert at the All-State Arena in Illinois sold out within ten minutes and I didn't get any! More reviews could cheer me up though. Either that, or someone who has three really good tickets and is willing to sell them to me for a reasonable price.**

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Chapter Three: Suspicious Policemen

About a week after the robbery and news interview, there had still been no report on the capture of the Wilson brothers.

"We're still investigating the situation, looking and listening for any leaks on the whereabouts of the Wilson brothers," the reporter on the television said. "If anyone has any information on anything regarding the Wilsons, they are strongly advised to call their local police station immediately."

Lilly tuned out the television as she finished eating her scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. She was waiting for Oliver to call her; she was supposed to go over to his house today to play Guitar Heroes II and then go to the bowling alley later tonight, something they had been doing every Friday since they were eight.

Lilly glanced at the clock, 9:25. Oliver always was a late sleeper, especially during summer. She'd give him another half hour, then she'd go over there and pull his lazy butt out of bed herself.

The doorbell suddenly rang, slightly startling Lilly. She stood up and walked over to the door, hoping it was Oliver telling her to come over now. But it wasn't Oliver. Lilly was surprised to open the door and find two men in suits and sunglasses on her front porch. One had thick arms and short brown hair. The other was slightly shorter with long hair, complete with mustache and full beard.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" Lilly asked.

"We're looking for Ms. Lilly Truscott," the shorter man said. "Does she live here?"

"Yeah, that's me," Lilly replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Agent James Richards and this is Agent Charles Brody," the other man said as they both held out badges. "We're with the FBI and we understand you and your friend caught sight of the men who robbed the Malibu National Bank last week. Is that correct?"

"Yeah..." Lilly said again.

"Well, we've got two suspects in custody and we would like the two of you to come down to the station with us to identify them," Agent Brody said.

"But the news report I just watched said they were still looking for these guys," Lilly said, confused.

"That's because we have asked them not to release the information about the suspects until they have been identified," Agent Richards said hurriedly. "So, if you'll come with us and we'll pick up Mr. Oken."

"Oh, you don't have to go far," Lilly said. "He lives just two houses down. I could go get him if you would like."

"No!" Agent Brody shouted. Lilly stared at him.

"What he means is, we will go get him," Agent Richards said, holding Agent Brody back. "We will escort you to our car and then go pick up Mr. Oken."

"Ok," Lilly said, heading towards the car. "As long as it's not any trouble."

"Oh, don't worry," Agent Brody said, smiling in a strange way. "It's no trouble at all."

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"Oliver! Get your sleepy butt out of bed! There's some people here to see you!"

Oliver groaned and pulled the covers higher over his head, trying to block out his mother's voice. He opened his eyes slightly and glanced at his bedside clock, 9:40 AM. In the summer especially, Oliver didn't consider it officially morning until at least ten. But then he remembered that Lilly was coming ove and decided he might as well get up.

He quickly located a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and put them on. He ran his fingers through his hair until it looked presentable and walked down the stairs.

His mother had apparently left the room, probably to go make breakfast in the kitchen. In the doorway stood two important-looking men in suits. He approached them cautiously.

"Can I help you?" Oliver asked.

"Yes," the shorter man said. "We're with the FBI. I'm Agent Charles Brody. This is my partner Agent James Richards." They flashed official-looking badges. "We would like you to come downtown with us."

"Why? What'd I do?" Oliver asked nervously. "You know, my mom's a cop and she can vouch for me..."

"Calm down, Mr. Oken. You're not in trouble," Agent Richards replied reassuringly. "We just need you to come with us and identify some men who we recently caught as potential suspects."

"Okay...?" Oliver said questioningly. "But I thought you knew these Wilson guys. Wouldn't you know if it was them or not?"

"Well, we do not have recent photos and criminals change their appearances often," Agent Richards replied.

"Plus, we're still not completely positive that it was the Wilson brothers," Agent Brody said. "We need you and Ms. Truscott to verify for us."

"Lilly's coming too?" Oliver asked.

"Yes," Agent Richards replied. "She is waiting in the van right now for us."

"Okay," Oliver replied. "One second." He walked over to the kitchen. "Mom! I'm going to the police station!" he called.

"What'd you do now?" she called back.

"Nothing," Oliver said. "I have to go identify suspects. You know, in the bank robbery that Lilly and I saw?"

"Be home by dinner!" his mom shouted back.

Oliver shook his head and followed his men out to the car. He didn't know why exactly, but the sight of the big, black van parked in front of his house instantly made him feel uneasy. Maybe it was because it very much resembled the car the robbers drove.

_There you go again, being paranoid,_ he thought to himself. He shook the thought out of his head as Agent Brody opened the door and beckoned him into it. However, right before he stepped inside, he caught sight of something that made him stop in his tracks.

On the ground of the van, he saw an arm sprawled across the floor with long blonde hair laying on it. Though the rest of the person's body was hidden by the seat, there was no mistaking her identity.

Lilly was lying on the floor of the van. Which meant these suspicious policemen were not FBI agents at all. Oliver's worst fears had come true.

Without glancing back, Oliver ran to his front door. He turned the doorknob hastily, realizing too late that he hadn't unlocked it before he left. Furiously, he started pounding on the window.

"Mom!" he screamed. "Mom! Open the door!"

Suddenly, two pairs of hands roughly seized him and pulled him away from the window. Oliver struggled helplessly, still calling out for someone, _anyone_ to hear him. He needed the real police to be alerted immediately.

"Sedate him!" one of the men shouted, still trying to hold onto Oliver.

"I can't!" the other one said. "He's moving too much!"

Oliver suddenly felt a sharp pain in his jaw as the first man punched him. He fell to the ground, tasting blood in his mouth. A second later, he felt a prick in his arm. Glancing over, he saw the second man pulling a needle out of his arm. Then, his vision slowly faded as he blacked out on his front lawn.

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**I know it's a little short, but I had to get to the main plot of the story and I hadn't really plotted out what was going to happen before that so...bear with me. I'm only a beginner! Again, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	4. Interrogations

**Hey everyone! I know, I know. It's been awhile. But school's gotten in the way and I've had mounds of homework every night. Plus, I was suffering from writer's block. But, I'm over it now, and, as a result, you all get a brand new chapter. Enjoy!**

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Chapter Four: Interrogation

It felt as though something was pounding the inside of Oliver's head. Strange images flashed across his blurry line of vision as he opened his eyes slightly. He was in a dimly lit room with concrete walls, sitting on a wooden chair. Cold, steel handcuffs fastened his wrists to the back of the chair. He felt somewhat groggy still from his sedation, having no idea where he was.

"Wakey, wakey, Oliver," came a taunting male voice. Oliver shook his head several times to try to remove the grogginess. He opened his eyes fully and the blurred images became clearer.

Sitting in front of him was "Agent James Richards" of the FBI. However, he had removed his fake hair and glasses and was now recongnizable as Jeremy Wilson, one of the bank robbers.

"It's about time you woke up," Jeremy said, smiling wickedly. "I was starting to get worried that I had sedated you too heavily. Your little friend woke up about two hours ago."

"Lilly?" Suddenly Oliver felt wide awake, sitting up straighter in the chair, his wrists straining against the handcuffs. "Where is she? What did you do to her?"

"She's in the other room, and she's alive," Jeremy replied, but his eyes flashed as he added, "For now."

Oliver hoped that Jeremy realized how lucky he was that he, Oliver, was restrained to the chair, or he would wring that goddamn muscular neck.

"Let Lilly go!" Oliver said, trying to sound more threatening and less afraid than he really was feeling. "She had nothing to do with this!"

"Ahh...see, that's where you're wrong," Jeremy said, grinning. "You see, my brother Carl and I caught her entire newscast on Channel Six. Since then, we haven't been able to go anywhere because every cop in Malibu is looking for us. We spent the entire week thinking up a way to get back at you two snitches. And that's where we got the FBI agent disguises. Pretty good, huh?"

Oliver frowned, feeling anger and hatred rise up inside him. "Let Lilly go!" he said again. "Please. Whatever you want to do to her, you can do to me instead. You can even do it to me twice if you were already planning on doing it to me!"

"Aww...ain't that sweet," Jeremy smirked. "Sticking up for your girlfriend. How special."

"No, she's not my girlfriend," Oliver said.

"Oh really?" Jeremy sounded surprised and somewhat pleased. He stood up and walked to the back of the room. Oliver turned to see where he was going, but he returned immediately with a walkie talkie in his hand. He pressed the button on the side.

"Carl, the chick's not his girlfriend," he said into the walkie talkie. "You can kill her now."

"What?" Oliver shook his head furiously, his dark hair falling into his eyes. "No! No! Stop! Just because she's not my girlfriend doesn't mean I don't care about her! Don't kill her!"

"Hold off a sec, Carl," Jeremy said to the radio. "We could have some fun with this." Oliver breathed a huge sigh of relief. But his relief was quickly replaced by fear as he contemplated the last half of Jeremy's sentence.

"What exactly did you mean 'have some fun with this?'" Oliver asked nervously.

"Look, Oken," Jeremy began. "You obviously like this girl, don't you?"

"Yeah," Oliver replied. "She's my best friend."

"And you've probably noticed that we've kept you both in separate rooms, right?" he added.

"Yeah...?" Oliver replied again. "What's that supposed to-?"

"Leverage," Jeremy said, smiling again. Oliver still didn't understand, until he heard something on the other end of the walkie talkie that made his heart break.

A dull thud followed by a shriek that was unmistakably Lilly's.

Jeremy laughed. Oliver stared at the walkie talkie in horror. "Stop it! Stop it!" he shouted. "Leave her alone!"

"Every time you do something that pisses me off, we're gonna beat up your friend," Jeremy replied. "But, if all goes accordingly, you won't even care in the end!"

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked, horrified and confused at the same time.

"Think about it," Jeremy said, standing up and pacing around Oliver's chair. "Who was the one who told the reporters the whole story? Who was the one who gave away your names and location? Who was the one who ultimately led us to you?"

"Shut up," Oliver said, knowing where this was going.

"Who refused to listen to you when you told her that nothing would happen? Who believed that the police would protect you? Who was too busy ratting us out to even listen to a word from you, her so-called 'best friend?'"

"Shut up!"

"Who was the one who got the two of you captured? Who was the one who eventually is going to the death of both of you? Who was –"

"SHUT UP!"

Oliver was trembling with fury. Tears had formed in the corners of his eyes. He knew what Jeremy was trying to do. He was trying to make Oliver feel angry towards Lilly. He was trying to turn them against each other. But Oliver knew that there would be no chance of them getting out of this alive unless they stayed united.

However, he was also angered because a big part of him knew that Jeremy was right. This technically _was_ Lilly's fault. She was the one who talked to the reporters and told them EVERYTHING. She also was the one who kept telling him that he was being stupid by worrying. _Stop it!_ shouted a voice in his head. _Now is not the time to be turning on Lilly. You have to ignore this jerk if you want any chance of the two of you ever getting out of this._

"Oh, you may deny it, Oliver," Jeremy said, smirking as he crouched down next to Oliver, who refused to look him in the eyes. "But deep down inside you know that it's true. I can tell."

"You're lying," Oliver said, fighting to keep his voice steady, furiously blinking back tears. "Nothing you can say will _ever_ turn me against Lilly."

"Really?" Jeremy asked, standing up. He walked over and picked up the walkie talkie. "What if I told you that I could order my brother to kill your little girlfriend unless you admit that this was all of her fault?"

Oliver didn't respond. He was out of ideas of what to say. Jeremy was outsmarting him at everything. He was going to _make_ him turn against Lilly, or else she would be dead.

Suddenly, Jeremy backhanded him across the face. Oliver winced, spitting blood out of his mouth. "Answer the question!" Jeremy demanded, now dropping his cocky attitude and sounding angry. "Do you think we're playing a game here? This is no game, Oken. This is the real deal. And if you don't sell out your girlfriend in the next thirty seconds, I'm gonna have Carl shoot her!"

"No! No! Don't!" Oliver shouted, desperately trying to think of something off the top of his head.

"Then say it," Jeremy said, holding the walkie talkie as if it were a grenade.

"I...I can't!" Oliver pleaded. "I..."

"Twenty seconds," Jeremy said, frowning.

"You lying son of a bitch!" Oliver shouted, trying to lash out at Jeremy despite the fact that he was chained to the chair. "YOU'RE A LIAR!"

"Ten seconds left," Jeremy said. "This is your last chance, Oken. Sell her out, or she dies!"

"I can't!" Oliver shouted. "I can't do that to Lilly! I l –"

But the rest of his sentence was drowned out by the sound of a gunshot from the next room, followed instantly by a scream and a thud as if a body had hit the floor.

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**Are you in suspense now? You better be. Anyway, I need to know your thoughts! The reviews have been lessening it seems and I don't know whether or not I should continue. Please! This is a desperate plea! Let me know how you like it!**


	5. Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy

Chapter Five: Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy

Oliver didn't think he'd moved or even _blinked_ in the last five minutes. He just couldn't wrap his mind over what had just happened. Lilly, his best friend in the whole world, was dead. And it was his fault. As unfair as the situation was, he was the one who had ultimately led to Lilly's death. How the hell was he supposed to live with himself now?

"Maybe now you'll realize that this isn't a game anymore, Ollie," Jeremy said, his smirk fully returning. "I'll leave you here to deal with your thoughts. But trust me, we're not done here." He turned and walked out of the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

Oliver paid no attention to the fact that Jeremy had left. He was still in utter shock. Lilly was _dead!_ What was he supposed to do now? Even if he somehow miraculously got out of here alive, how would he be able to live with the fact that he killed his best friend? He would never be able to face Miley, or Jackson, or definitely not Mr. and Mrs. Truscott.

Oliver sniffed and finally let the tears fall from his face. He normally didn't like to cry, feeling that it made him feel less manly. But at that moment, he didn't care about being tough or not. Lilly was gone, and all he wanted to do was cry. His shoulders shook as he sobbed, wishing more than anything that he would just wake up from this horrible nightmare.

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Hours, it seemed, had passed since Jeremy had left the room. Oliver was starting to think about ways in which he could kill himself despite the fact that he was still handcuffed to the chair. Because there was no way he could live if Lilly was dead. As his thoughts steadily grew darker and darker, he heard a frantic pounding on the door.

Not wanting to deal with Jeremy or his idiotic brother anymore, he screamed, "Get away from me! Haven't you ruined my life enough? What more do you want from me?"

"Oliver? Is that you?"

Oliver's heart nearly ceased its beating. No way. There was _no_ way that he could be hearing that voice. Because he was certain that Carl Wilson had shot and killed Lilly Truscott mere hours ago. Now they were trying to mess with his head by pretending to be Lilly? That was just plain pathetic.

"Go away!" he shouted again. "You think you can fool me? You're pretty pathetic!"

"Oliver, it's me! Lilly!" came the voice, and it took everything Oliver had to not believe that it really was her.

"Yeah, right!" he said, though slightly less forcefully. "You killed Lilly, remember? I don't understand what you think you're getting at by trying to make me think she's alive!"

"Oliver, it really is me!" The voice sounded desperate, and it reminded Oliver more of Lilly than anything. "They made you think I was dead because they want you to cooperate with them! But it really is me!"

"Yeah?" Oliver asked. "Prove it!"

"On our first day of kindergarten, I sat down next to you and told you that I liked you. I even held your hand under the table when the teacher wasn't looking. But in reality, I did it just because I wanted your crayons. You had the 64 pack! With the sharpener!"

Pure joy burst through Oliver at the completion of this story. Nobody in the entire world knew that story except for him, Lilly, and Miley. Which meant that it wasn't the robbers. The impossible was true. Lilly was alive.

"Lilly!" he screamed, feeling tears of joy fall from his face. "Is it you?"

"Yes, Oliver," Lilly replied, jiggling the doorknob furiously. "The door's locked! Can you open it?"

"No!" Oliver replied. "I'm cuffed to a chair! Look around for something to break the door down!" He tugged helplessly at his restraints, wincing as they rubbed against his already raw, bloodied wrists.

"Okay," Lilly said. "Just hold on. I'll look for something."

"Okay," Oliver replied, feeling so relieved and happy now. Lilly was alive! He wasn't responsible for her death because she wasn't dead.

A banging sound echoed through the room as Lilly started beating the door with something heavy. The metal folded and caved against the numerous blows. Finally, the doorknob fell off and the door opened to reveal Lilly standing there, an axe in her hand.

Oliver could honestly say that he had never been happier in his life to see Lilly. Several cuts lined her face and arms, but otherwise she looked fine. And beautiful. She always looked beautiful. But it was something about her standing in that doorway alive that made her beauty shine brighter than ever.

She dropped the axe on the ground and rushed over to Oliver.

"Oliver, are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down next to him and examining the handcuffs around his wrists.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Oliver replied, not even sure how to express to Lilly the happiness he was feeling right now. "What about you? I was sure that he shot you."

"So was I," Lilly replied, pulling a bobby pin out of her hair and beginning to pick the lock of the cuffs. "Carl had the gun pointed at my head and I think he was going to shoot me. But, apparently, he had a change of heart or something at the end because he ended up shooting a hole in the ceiling. I screamed because I was sure I was dead. Then, next thing I knew, a brick from the ceiling fell and hit me on the head, knocking me out." She showed him the fairly deep cut on her forehead.

"Anyway," she continued, still working on the lock, "I woke up and saw that he was gone, so I escaped from my room and came looking for you. And here you are."

"I was so scared, Lilly," Oliver said in a quiet voice. "When I heard that gunshot...I didn't know what had happened. I was so sure you were dead. It was...it was horrible."

"I know, Oliver," she replied. "Almost got it!" She twisted the bobby pin one last time and the cuff came off. Minutes later, she got the other one off and Oliver was free.

"Okay," she said as he stood up. "Let's get out of here."

"Hold on a minute," Oliver said. He suddenly grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, breathing in the scent of her golden hair, not wanting to release her ever again.

"Oliver," Lilly said, hugging him back. "Are you-?"

"I just want to hold you," Oliver said, hugging her tighter. "Just for a minute to reassure myself that you're really here."

"I'm here, Ollie," Lilly whispered in his ear. "I'm right here."

They stood like that for what felt like an hour, even though it was only about a minute or two. Oliver just couldn't believe how close he came to losing his best friend ever. It felt so good to hold her in his arms and know that she was still here.

When they finally parted, Lilly looked up at him and smiled. But it instantly turned to a pained look as she glanced at his wrists. They were bleeding and the skin had been rubbed raw.

"Ouch! Are your wrists okay?" she asked.

"They'll be fine," Oliver replied, though in reality, they were stinging like crazy. "Don't worry about me. The pain is the least of my worries right now."

"I agree," Lilly replied. She grabbed Oliver's hand and looked him straight in the eyes. "Now let's get the hell out of here!"

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**And you thought that I was going to kill off Lilly. Seriously, people. How can you have a Loliver story if you kill off half of the couple in the fourth chapter? Anyway, thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. I hope you'll be generous again and submit some for this chapter. Love you all!**


	6. The Chase

Chapter Six: The Chase

Oliver peeked his head around the corner and cautiously peered up and down the hallway. No one was present. "Coast is clear," he said to Lilly, pulling his head back into the room.

"Okay," he added, turning to Lilly. "When you were looking for me, did you by any chance see a way out of here?"

"No, not really," Lilly said. "But it looks to me like we're in some sort of abandoned warehouse. And it doesn't seem that big to me."

"All right," Oliver replied. "Just stick close to me, and let's get out of here."

Lilly nodded. Oliver extended his hand, and, hesitating slightly, Lilly grasped it, feeling suddenly more secure. They walked out of the room, double-checking once again that it was still deserted, and sprinted down the hallway, looking for someway out of this horrible place. It seemed to be nothing more than hallways. And the limited lighting didn't help out much either. The only good thing was that they hadn't run into Jeremy or Carl yet.

Finally, after what felt like hours of searching, they located a door with light streaming out from underneath it. It had to be the way out! Both crept cautiously up to the door. Oliver reached out to grab the handle, when they suddenly heard voices from behind it.

"Gonna go check in on Oken again," Jeremy's voice said. "Now that it's sunk in that his girlfriend is dead, maybe he'll cooperate with me."

"Yeah, right," Carl replied, sounding nervous. Lilly couldn't quite understand at first why he was sounding so uneasy. Then, she realized that Jeremy must not know that she wasn't really dead. Carl was obviously supposed to kill her. And he hadn't told Jeremy that she wasn't dead.

"What's up, Carl?" Jeremy asked, and Lilly thought that he must've caught the nervousness in Carl's voice as well.

"Uhh..." Carl began, sounding even more nervous. "Well...you see, Jer, I...uhh..."

"The girl _is_ dead, right?" Jeremy sounded angry.

"Uhh...well," Carl replied, stammering. "Okay, see, I was gonna kil her, but it didn't seem like the right time. And besides, it doesn't matter, right? Oken thinks she's dead, and that's what we were aiming at, right?"

"She's _not_ dead!?" A scraping sound was heard and Lilly could almost picture Jeremy standing up and advancing on his smaller brother. "She's NOT dead?!"

"Look, Jer, this isn't as bad as you think, okay?" Carl said, also standing up. "Look, I thought it over and it didn't seem like it would work if we killed her now. And, what's the big deal? Oken doesn't know, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal, Carl, is that Truscott's door wasn't locked!" Jeremy replied angrily. "I assumed she was dead so I didn't lock the door! She's probably gotten out now and found Oken!"

"Shit!" Carl swore. "All right, she probably only woke up about ten minutes ago. They can't have gotten far!"

Horrified, Oliver pulled Lilly by the arm away from the door and around the corner just as they heard it bang open. "You go that way! I'll go this way!" Jeremy said, and, seconds later, Lilly and Oliver heard him running down the hallway after them.

"Come on! This way!" Oliver whispered to Lilly, leading her down the hallway. Unfortunately, the turn they took led them to a dead end.

"Oh no! We're trapped!" Lilly said in a scared voice, but seconds later, Jeremy rounded the corner and faced them, an evil smile creeping up his face.

"You guys are in _so_ much trouble," Jeremy said, pointing his gun at them.

Oliver stood against the wall, paralyzed with fear. But Lilly, thinking fast, grabbed a pipe from behind her back and chucked it at Jeremy's head. Jeremy ducked to avoid being hit, and in that second, Lilly had grabbed Oliver's hand and pulled them past him. Jeremy fired off a few shots as they rounded the corner. Oliver tripped in pain as a bullet went into his leg.

"OLIVER!" Lilly screamed, but Oliver shook it off.

"Don't worry about it!" he said. "Over there! Go through that door!"

Lilly saw where he was pointing; a small closet was directly in front of them about ten feet away. She grabbed Oliver's arm and helped him to his feet where he limped after her into the closet. Once inside, Oliver closed the door and locked it, sitting with his back against it, his arms wrapped around Lilly.

They heard Jeremy's footsteps approaching the door. Seconds later, another set of footprints joined in and the heard Carl's voice speak.

"Did you get them?" he asked. "I heard gunshots."

"I don't know," Jeremy replied. "I had them cornered, but Truscott threw something at me and in that instant, they escaped. I fired some shots at them, but I couldn't tell if I hit anyone."

"Well, I've got all the doors locked," Carl said. "It'll take them some time to get out. So, let's split up and find them. They can't have left this building yet."

"Agreed," Jeremy said, and the two sets of footsteps died down, heading in opposite directions. Once they were gone, Oliver and Lilly both let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh my god, that was close," Lilly said, breathing heavily.

"I know," Oliver agreed.

"Now, let's have a look at your leg," Lilly said. She felt around in the dark until she located a chain dangling from the ceiling. She pulled it and a small, dim lightbulb flickered on, providing her with some light. Both her and Oliver winced as they looked at the bullet lodged in Oliver's leg, just below his knee. Blood covered his leg around the wound.

"Should we take that out?" Oliver asked, clenching his teeth in pain.

"I don't know," Lilly replied, sounding scared. "I'm afraid that it'll start bleeding even worse if we do. I wish I paid more attention in health class!"

"I don't think they taught you how to take a bullet out of your leg in health class," Oliver said, wincing in pain.

"Well, do you have anything to take it out with?" Lilly asked.

"No," Oliver replied through clenched teeth, trying to mop up his leg with the bottom of his shirt. Lilly looked around for something to use. She located a pair of tweezers on a shelf and pulled them off. She knelt down next to Oliver, holding the tweezers.

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Oliver replied, bracing himself for the pain he was about experience. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth as Lilly grabbed the bullet with the tweezers and pulled. Oliver gave a cry of pain, trying not to be too loud, as the bullet came out. Blood began pouring from it at an alarmingly fast rate.

"Here, use this," Lilly said hurriedly, ripping off the sleeve of her hoodie and wrapping it tightly around Oliver's leg.

"But that's your favorite hoodie," Oliver said, biting his bottom lip in pain.

"Seriously, I care more about you bleeding to death than I do about my hoodie," Lilly said, unable to hide a small smile. "There," she said, tying the sleeve into a knot. "It's not much, but at least it'll slow the bleeding down. Can you walk?"

"I-I think so," Oliver said, getting shakily to his feet, using the wall for support. His leg shook violently when he put pressure on it. Lilly rushed forward and grabbed his arm before he fell. She put his arm around her shoulder and helped to support him.

"Just hold on to me," Lilly said. "Don't put too much weight on your leg if you can help it."

"Okay," Oliver replied, wincing as pain shot through his leg. "I'll try and hobble as fast as I can."

"I think we're pretty close to the door," Lilly said. "As long as we're not seen, I should be able to open it pretty quickly and we can get out of here and call for help."

Oliver nodded. Lilly slowly opened the closet door and peered out cautiously. No one was around. She helped Oliver limp out of the room and down the hallway. They quickly located the door, still seeing no sight of the Wilson brothers. Part of their absence calmed the two teens' nerves, but another part made them even more anxious that they were waiting just around the corner.

Once they reached the front door, Lilly took her bobby pin again and began to pick the lock. Oliver kept glancing nervously over his shoulder, waiting for the Wilsons to appear at any moment and kill them. But, they never showed and, moments later, they both finally heard the lock click. Lilly breathed another sigh of relief; sweet freedom was just a few feet away.

Unfortunately, both Lilly and Oliver had seriously mistaken the distance to freedom when they opened the door to find none other than Carl and Jeremy Wilson standing on the other side, both looking very pleased indeed.

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**(Insert dramatic music here) NOW what's going to happen to them? Poor Lilly and Oliver just can't get a break, can they? Will they be all right? I know the answer. But you all don't. And the only way you can find out is if you send me tons of review, demanding that I give you the next chapter, even if I have to sit at my computer for numerous days and nights with no food or sleep or...anything! Okay, maybe not that dramatic. But send me reviews all the same!**


	7. Feelings of Hopelessness

**Once again, I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Homework's been piling up, and school's been a bit stressful lately, but the next chapter is finally here. I must also apologize for the short length of this chapter. I tried to make it longer, but I didn't want to drag on and on and bore you with my pointless rambling because sometimes people hate it when you ramble, especially when it's in the author notes that aren't even part of the story and……..Oh! Sorry. I was rambling again. Anyway, I'll shut up and let you read the chapter.**

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Chapter Seven: Feelings of Hopelessness

The sun had nearly fully set, and the beaches of Malibu were growing steadily darker by the minute. Along the coastline, a big, black van was traveling quickly down the road. Jeremy Wilson was driving, feeling extremely grateful that there were no cops patrolling the streets. In the backseat, Carl sat, rather nervously, his gun pointed at Lilly and Oliver, who had been forced to lay on the floor in order to avoid detection. Rags had been stuffed into their mouths, mostly to silence Lilly's frightened whimpering and Oliver's pained moans.

Jeremy drove around for nearly an hour, though nobody, not even his own brother, knew where they were going. Finally, he stopped on the outskirts of Malibu, on top of a bridge overlooking the ocean. He turned the engine off and got out of the car. He opened the back door, grabbed Oliver's arm, and threw him onto the pavement roughly. Carl grabbed Lilly and dragged her out, keeping the gun pointed at her head.

Jeremy reached down and pulled the rag out of Oliver's mouth. Then, not even giving him a chance to draw a breath, punched him in the face. Lilly gave a strangled yell; Carl pulled the rag out of her mouth, but clicked his pistol threateningly as though daring her to make too much noise.

"Now you two are about to find out what happens to people who meddle in things that aren't any of their damn business!" Jeremy shouted, punching Oliver in the gut. Oliver rolled on the ground, moaning in horrible pain. Jeremy laughed and kicked Oliver repeatedly.

"Stop it!" Lilly screamed. "Leave him alone!"

"Shut up!" Carl shouted, shoving the gun further into the base of her neck.

"Get up!" Jeremy said to Oliver. When Oliver failed to comply, Jeremy seized him by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. Oliver staggered as he put weight on his bad leg. But it didn't matter as Jeremy punched him again, and he fell to the ground once more, letting out a choked cry of pain.

"STOP IT!" Lilly screamed again, half-sobbing and struggling helplessly against Carl's grasp. "Leave him alone! Please! This isn't his fault!"

But Jeremy paid no attention to her as he continued to beat up Oliver. After each punch, Oliver stayed on the ground for a significantly longer time, coughing up large quantities of blood.

"You're going to kill him!" Lilly screamed through her sobs. "YOU'RE KILLING HIM! STOP!"

"Hey, Jeremy, I think that's enough!"

Both Lilly and Jeremy were amazed to hear these words come out of Carl's mouth. He still held Lilly in a chokehold with the gun pressed to her temple. But he was staring at his brother with a look that somewhat resembled pity.

"What did you say?" Jeremy asked. Oliver moaned and stirred at his feet and was rewarded with another kick into the side.

"Look at him, Jer. He can't even stand up!" Carl said. "Maybe you should lay off of him a bit."

"Are you crazy?" Jeremy shouted, looking at Carl as if he was insane. "This punk-ass kid told the police who we are and that we robbed the bank! He's the reason why we haven't been able to hit any place in a whole week, because every goddamn cop in the goddamn state is looking for us!"

"Actually, if I remember correctly, she was the one who told the cops everything," Carl said, gesturing to Lilly with his gun.

"Yes, yes," Lilly said, not even attempting to disagree. "It's my fault! Not Oliver's! Leave--"

"Shut your mouth!" Carl said, yanking her head back by her hair, causing her to yelp in pain.

"What do you think I'm doing, Carl?" Jeremy asked. "Do you think I could make her feel any more pain than she's feeling right now?" he added, pointing to Lilly.

Lilly had to agree with Jeremy there. She gladly would've had him beating on her twice as hard as he was beating on Oliver right now than watch the scene that was unfolding before her eyes. More tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at the pitiful figure on the ground. Oliver was barely even stirring anymore. His whole body was covered in blood and bruises. Lilly couldn't believe it; the boy she loved (yes, loved) was dying right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do to save him.

"All I'm saying is, why don't we just kill him?" Carl asked. "You saw how Oken felt when he thought I killed his girlfriend. Imagine how much it'll tear Truscott up inside when we really kill her boyfriend."

"NO!" Lilly screamed.

"I agree," Jeremy replied, smiling maniacally as he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Oliver. He put his finger to the trigger. Lilly closed her eyes, unable to watch.

"Although," Jeremy said, stopping suddenly. "I don't want to kill him this way. We'll provide him with a much more painful death."

"What?" Carl asked, clearly intending that was not what he had in mind. Jeremy nodded and looked over the side of the bridge at the water below. Then, before anyone could stop him, he picked up Oliver's beaten form and threw him off the bridge into the water below.

"NO!" Lilly screamed again as Oliver's body hit the water and disappeared underneath the waves. Both the Wilsons were laughing. Lilly couldn't stand this any longer. She was done feeling hopeless. It was time to take action.

Raising her foot, she stamped hard on Carl's toe. As he bent over in pain, she elbowed him hard in the stomach. Then, before either of the brothers could register what was happening, Lilly ran to the side of the bridge and jumped in after her best friend. She had one last chance to save Oliver and she was going to take it.

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**Are you crying yet? C'mon, at least tell me that you're feeling sad. Well, if you're not, the next few chapters are sure to make you tear up a bit. Anyway, I was counting in my head and, currently, it looks like the story is going to have about four more chapters. Possibly more, it depends. So, before I write those four other chapters, I need to know if you guys want them. POST! POST! POST REVIEWS!**


	8. SOS!

**WOW! So many reviews! Thanks so much for all the feedback, everyone! It's clear to me that you want me to continue, and so, not wanting to disappoint my readers, I'll will comply and submit to you the next chapter.**

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Chapter Eight: SOS!

Despite the fact that it was the middle of summer, the ocean waters felt icy cold against Lilly's skin as she struggled to keep her head above water and search for Oliver at the same time. The lack of light didn't make it any easier, not to mention the cold temperature of the water was making it difficult for her to breathe.

"Oliver!" she shouted, coughing and sputtering as salty water entered her mouth. "Oliver! Where are you?"

The clouds parted suddenly and moonlight shone through, casting an eerie light on the waters. Figuring that this would be the best chance she would get at seeing anything, Lilly took a deep breath and dove underwater. The moonlight was weak, but it provided her with enough light to see the figure of her best friend slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean about ten yards away.

Lilly kicked furiously, propelling herself forward. She reached out and grabbed Oliver around the waist. She started for the surface, but her body was already weak from injury and exhaustion, and Oliver was heavier than she thought. Her lungs began to scream in protest, desperately wanting air. Lilly gritted her teeth and pushed Oliver upwards. His body instantly floated to the surface and she swam after him.

Once her face broke the surface of the water, Lilly gulped in numerous mouthfuls of air. She looked around and saw Oliver, still unconscious, slowly starting to sink back below the waves. Swimming furiously forward, she grabbed Oliver before he could sink any lower and held him above the water.

Looking around, she was so grateful to see that land was only about fifty yards away. Holding on tightly to Oliver, she started to swim towards the beach, exerting nearly all of her energy to keep herself going. When she felt she could go no farther, a wave suddenly caught her and Oliver and pushed them the remainder of the way to land.

They collapsed onto the sand, Lilly coughing and choking on the salt water, one hand still tightly clamped around Oliver, afraid of letting him go. Once she was over her coughing fit, she grabbed Oliver by the wrists and pulled him farther up the beach, away from the waves that kept crashing into the sand. She dropped down next to him.

"Oliver," she said, shaking him slightly. "Oliver? Can you hear me?" She put her head on his chest and listened. Nothing. Panicking, she grabbed his wrist and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

"Oh shit!" Lilly swore. "Come on, Oliver. Breathe! Please breathe!" Wracking her brain furiously, she tried to remember the CPR process. Why, oh why, did she have to always sleep in health class?

"Ok," Lilly said. She concentrated hard and finally remembered the A-B-C process: Airway, Breaths, Compressions. She tilted Oliver's head back, pinched his nose, and gave him two breaths. Then, she did her thirty compressions.

"Come on, Oliver," she said, giving him two more breaths and starting on another round of compressions. "Come on! Breathe, Oliver, breathe!"

Midway through the third round of compressions, Oliver suddenly coughed loudly, expelling a large amount of water. Lilly stopped her compressions and leaned closer to his head.

"Oliver, can you hear me?" she asked hopefully.

"Lilly..." Oliver said weakly, but then his eyelids flickered, and he passed out again. Lilly panicked again, but, feeling his wrist, detected a pulse and relaxed. She was now aware of two things: Oliver was alive, and he needed medical attention immediately.

"Stay right here, Oliver," Lilly said, not really sure why considering he couldn't hear her anyway. "I'll be right back."

And with that, Lilly took off down the beach looking for someone, _anyone_ who could call an ambulance immediately.

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Jackson Stewart, Miley's older brother, finished closing up the surf shop he worked at and started to head home. Ever since he, Miley, and their father had heard on the news that Lilly and Oliver had gone missing, they had wasted no time in getting on the next plane to California. Now, they had spent nearly two days trying to figure out what had happened.

"I'll be home in a bit," Jackson said into his cell phone, talking to his father. "Have you heard any news yet? Same with me. I was asking people at work all day and no one's seen them. Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes. Bye, dad." He hung up his phone and was about to head off back home when he heard a voice shout his name in the distance.

"JACKSON! JACKSON!"

Jackson turned immediately, just in time to catch a girl as she came running down the beach and literally fell right into his arms. A closer look almost made him drop the girl in shock. It was Lilly.

She looked horrible. Her face and arms were covered in dirt, sand, and blood. Her blond hair was matted with dried blood. Her eyes were red and wet with tears, and she looked positively terrified.

"Lilly!" Jackson said, trying to help her stand up. "Sweet nibblets, Lilly! What happened? We've been worried sick for almost two days looking for you and Oliver!"

"Come...quickly," Lilly gasped, sounding like it was taking her a lot of effort to string to words together. "Oliver...help...please...save...him..."

"Oliver's in trouble?" Jackson asked. Lilly nodded and fell more heavily onto his shoulder. "Where is he?"

"Down...beach," Lilly said, more tears erupting in her eyes. "Call...ambulance...please!"

"Okay, okay, I will," Jackson said. "Just take me to him." Lilly nodded and grabbed Jackson's hand and led him down the beach. Jackson opened his cell phone and dialed 911.

"Hello?" he said to the operator on the other line. "I need an ambulance to come to the beach immediately. Someone's been hurt. I don't know how bad it is yet. But you need to hurry. Thank you." He hung up and turned to Lilly, who was still dragging him forward. "They should be here in about five--" He stopped abruptly as they rounded the corner and Oliver's body came into view.

"Oh my god!" Jackson gasped as he knelt down next to the beaten form. "Where the hell have you two been, Lilly?"

"Please...we need...to get him...out of here," Lilly said, grabbing Oliver's arm and putting it over her shoulder. "Grab...his other...arm."

"Lilly, are you sure you don't want me to carry him?" Jackson asked, noticing how Lilly had started to stumble once Oliver's weight had been placed on her shoulder. "You're not looking so good yourself."

"I'm...fine," Lilly said, sagging slightly under Oliver's weight. Jackson grabbed Oliver's other arm and put it around his shoulder, transferring more of the weight to himself. "Let's...go!"

Together, Jackson and Lilly half-carried, half-dragged Oliver across the beach over to Rico's Surf Shop where Jackson worked. By the time they got there, the ambulance had arrived and two men carrying a stretcher were running towards them.

"Lay him on here," one of the men said. Jackson and Lilly both laid Oliver down on the stretcher. Both of the men strapped him down and started pumping oxygen into his lungs.

"Please, I need...to come with," Lilly said, the corners of her vision turning black; she knew she was moments away from passing out.

"That sounds like a good idea," the other man said as they wheeled Oliver into the back of the ambulance. "You look like you could use some medical help as well."

"I'm fine!" Lilly said, holding her pounding head with a shaky hand. "But I need to...be with...Oliver!"

"I'm going to go home and tell Miley right away, okay, Lilly?" Jackson asked. "We'll meet you guys there!" Lilly nodded and Jackson sprinted off home as fast as he could.

Lilly climbed into the back of the ambulance. The two men were accompanied by about three others who immediately started attending to Oliver. "What happened?" one of them asked.

But Lilly wasn't listening to him. She was too busy noticing one man who was holding a long, sharp object over Oliver's arm. Lilly watched in horror as the man brought it down, stabbing Oliver in the arm.

"What are you doing?" she screamed, causing all the doctors to look at her. "You're hurting him!"

"We're just putting an IV in," the doctor replied. "Everything's going to be all right." But Lilly refused to believe him as she saw another doctor attempting to smother Oliver by placing something over his mouth and nose.

"You're going to suffocate him!" Lilly shouted. "Get off of him! You're not real doctors! You're with _them_, aren't you?"

"Miss, you need to calm down," the doctor nearest to her said. "We're just placing an oxygen mask over his face to help him breathe."

"No you're not!" Lilly shouted, her head spinning worse than ever. "You're hurting him! Stop!"

"She's burning up!" the doctor said to the others. "We need another IV over here!"

"Stop," Lilly said in a fainter voice. "You're...hurting..." But the rest of her sentence was lost as her vision clouded and she collapsed on the floor of the ambulance.

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**Okay, I hope the length of this one was a little better. The Stewarts are finally back and will be in the next chapter. You all have been SO generous with your reviews, so, as a thank you, I am going to offer a special surprise for the next chapter. If you would like to receive a cameo appearance in chapter nine, send me a nice long review and be sure to sign it with your first name. I will pick the best one (and by best I don't necessarily mean the person who says the most compliments) and that person will get a small role in the next chapter. Send those reviews in!**


	9. A Familiar Face

**Thanks again for all the reviews, everyone! I must admit, it was hard picking someone for a cameo appearance, but I decided to go with chez1991 a.k.a. Cheryl. She will be appearing in this chapter. Congrats, Cheryl! And thanks for the review. And the rest of you, keep the reviews coming. Enjoy this next chapter!**

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Chapter Nine: A Familiar Face

Lilly sat cowering in the corner, shivering uncontrollably with fright and cold. Two large shadowy figures advanced on her, each holding pistols that were pointing straight at her. Through the spaces between their legs, she could just make out the shape of Oliver's body, blood still pouring from the two bullet wounds in his chest.

Tears were falling from her eyes, making tracks in the dirt and blood on her cheeks, as she looked up to see that the two men were a mere five feet from her. She was helpless now. There were two of them, they were armed, Oliver was dead, and she was trapped. She closed her eyes, thinking _At least I'll be able to see Oliver again,_ and heard the trigger being pulled.

"Lilly! Lilly! Wake up!"

Lilly heard her name being called. She couldn't tell who it was and figured that it must be Oliver calling to her from the afterlife. She tried to open her eyes to look for him, but her eyelids felt too heavy to lift.

"Lilly," the voice called again, but it didn't sound like Oliver. "Can you hear me?"

"Oliver...?" she asked, her voice faint.

"No, Lilly," the voice replied. "It's me, Miley."

Lilly suddenly recognized the voice and instantly the memories of the previous day came crashing back into her subconscious: Oliver's body sinking into the sea, her giving him CPR, running along the beach and finding Jackson, the ride in the ambulance, the doctors who were hurting Oliver.

_Oliver!_

Immediately, Lilly's eyes sprang open, and she sat up quickly, a big mistake as it made her head start to spin again. Her vision was blurry, and she couldn't figure out where she was.

"Oliver!" she shouted. "Oliver! Where are you?"

"Lilly, calm down. It's okay. It's over. You're safe now."

Lilly turned towards the voice. Her vision slowly started coming back and she instantly recognized the brown eyes that were staring down at her. It was Miley Stewart, her other best friend. She looked incredibly concerned.

"Miley?" Lilly said, now looking around at her surroundings. "W-Where am I?"

"The hospital," Miley replied. "We're in the ICU. You've been out for over twelve hours now."

Lilly looked around again and saw that she was indeed in the hospital. She was hooked up to numerous machines which were monitoring her heart rate, respitory action, and other things that she wasn't sure about.

"What happened?" Lilly asked. "I thought that those doctors were fake. They were hurting Oliver, Miley! I saw them hurting Oliver!"

"No, Lilly, they weren't," Miley replied in a calm voice. "You were hallucinating. The doctors said that it was caused by a high fever you had. When they brought you in here, it nearly peaked 106 degrees! That's what was causing you to think that they were hurting Oliver when all they were trying to do was save him."

"Well, then, where is he?" Lilly asked.

Miley was about to answer when the door of Lilly's room opened suddenly and a young woman walked in.

"Oh, you're awake, Ms. Truscott," she said. "That's very good news."

"Who are you?" Lilly asked, not intending to sound rude.

"This is Cheryl," Miley replied. "She's the nurse assigned to your room."

"We've been monitoring you very closely since we brought you in," Cheryl replied, changing Lilly's IV bag. "You had a very serious fever when you came in. The doctors on the ambulance said that you were hallucinating before you blacked out. It finally broke about an hour ago. You're very lucky."

"What about my friend Oliver?" Lilly asked, upset that she still didn't have an answer. "Is he okay?"

Cheryl hesitated as though she didn't want to answer the question. But Miley turned to her and said, "It's okay. I'll tell her."

"That would probably be for the best," Cheryl said. "I'll alert your parents that you have woken up, Ms. Truscott."

"Wait," Lilly said. Cheryl stopped at the door. "Can you ask them to wait outside until I'm done talking to Miley."

"Of course," Cheryl replied. "I'll be back in a few more minutes to check over some other things and tell the doctor that you have woken up." She exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Lilly turned back to Miley. "Miley," she started again, "where is Oliver?"

Miley took a deep breath and replied, refusing to look Lilly in the eyes. "He's...also in the ICU."

"How is he?" Lilly asked, dreading answer.

"Not well," Miley replied shaking her head. "He stopped breathing three times on the way over here. He's not responding to most of the treatment and...about an hour after you arrived, he...he..."

"He...what, Miley?"

Miley sniffed, and tears formed in her eyes. "He slipped into a coma," she said, wiping her eyes.

"What!?" Lilly half-shouted, unable to believe what she was hearing. "No. No! NO! This is all my fault! My best friend's going to die, and it's all my fault!"

"Lilly," Miley said soothingly, wrapping her arms around Lilly, who proceeded to cry on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. And Oliver's going to be fine."

"How can you be sure?" Lilly choked out through her sobs. "You just said that he wasn't doing well!"

"But he's going to pull through," Miley replied, patting Lilly's back, trying to calm her down. "It's going to be okay."

"I keep thinking about them," Lilly said, remembering the terrifying nightmare she had before she woke up. "The robbers who took us. I can't get them out of my head!"

"It's okay," Miley repeated. "It's over. It's all over. You're both safe, and nobody can hurt either of you anymore."

Lilly listened to Miley's words, but, unfortunately, didn't believe all of them. True, they were safe from the robbers, and true, they were both alive for the time being. But what about the after effects of what the robbers had done to them? She wasn't that concerned about herself, but she was concerned about Oliver. He had been severely beaten, shot in the leg, and almost drowned. Now he was in a coma and, from what Miley had told her, wasn't getting any better.

"I want to go see him," Lilly said suddenly, wiping her eyes.

"What?" Miley asked.

"Oliver," Lilly replied. "I want to go see Oliver!"

"Lilly, you can't," Miley said, pity in her eyes.

"Why not?" Lilly asked. "I'm awake, I feel fine, and I want to see Oliver!" She threw the covers off of herself and started to stand, but was instantly met with another wave of dizziness and fell back onto her bed.

"Lilly," Miley said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I just want to see him, Miley," Lilly said, more tears streaming down her face. "Please. I just want..." But the rest of her sentence was lost as she broke out into sobs again. Miley hugged her again, and this time, Lilly didn't try to resist.

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An hour later, the doctor had checked Lilly over and pried her parents off her long enough to tell her that she was making very good progress. However, he still didn't have any more news on Oliver's condition. On the plus side, he hadn't gotten any worse, but he also hadn't gotten any better. Lilly had asked to see him again, but was still denied entry, the doctor saying that she was not well enough to go down to his room.

Miley hadn't left Lilly's bedside the entire time, trying to calm her and insist that everything was going to be all right. Lilly wanted to believe her, she _really_ did, but until she saw Oliver, she didn't know what to expect. As visiting hours were drawing to a close, her nurse Cheryl came in again.

"Ms. Stewart," she said to Miley, "visiting hours are just about over."

"Please, can't she stay?" Lilly asked. "I don't want her to leave! Please?"

"I'm sorry, Lilly," Cheryl replied, truly looking sorry. "But, before she does go, I have some good news. I have talked to Oliver's nurse, and she has agreed to let both of you go in and visit him for a few minutes before Ms. Stewart has to leave."

"Really?" Lilly asked. "How is he? Has his condition changed at all?"

"No," Cheryl replied. "He's still in a comatose state. I will warn you, it may be difficult to see him in the position he is in right now."

"Trust me," Lilly replied. "I saw how he got in that position. I can handle it."

However, as Miley helped Lilly to her feet and led her down the hallway to Oliver's room, Lilly realized just how wrong she had been when she had made that statement. Because once the door to Oliver's room was opened and she caught a glimpse of him, she realized that this was _much_ harder to see than the actual torture itself.

Oliver looked so small and weak laying in that hospital bed, covered in numerous tubes and hooked up to various machines and monitors. He looked as still as if he was sleeping. His skin was so pale that it made the bruises on his body stand out even more, making him look somewhat like an abused child. The leg that had had the bullet in it was now bandaged and propped up on a pillow. His wrists also were bandaged where the handcuffs had torn the skin off of them.

Lilly felt tears well in her eyes yet again, but willed herself not to cry. She cautiously walked forward towards Oliver's bed and, not even caring who was watching, reached out and grabbed his hand. It felt cold as ice against her skin, almost lifeless. Those beeping heart monitors weren't enough to convince her that her best friend was alive. What she wanted more than anything right now was for Oliver to grab her hand and give her that adorable smile she loved and tell her that it was all going to be all right.

Miley walked over to Lilly from where she had been talking to Oliver's nurse and put a hand on her shoulder. "Lilly," she said, "I have to tell you something. Walk with me."

Lilly didn't want to leave Oliver's side, but, nevertheless, she allowed herself to be steered away by Miley towards the door. "What is it?" she asked.

Miley turned to Lilly, but seemed unable to meet her eyes again and spoke to the floor instead. "Oliver's nurse just told me that...that..." She paused for a moment and wiped her eyes, which had also started to tear up. "She told me that...Oliver may not live through the night."

Lilly felt as though her insides had just disappeared. "W-What?" she choked out, unable to believe what she had just heard. "You can't be..."

Miley nodded, tears now flowing down her cheeks. Lilly was in complete shock, trying to comprehend what Miley had just told her. It didn't seem possible. She couldn't lose her best friend. They had come so far. It wouldn't be fair for Oliver to lose this battle now and give the robbers the benefit that they had defeated him. Not to mention she wouldn't be able to live with herself if her best friend died.

She wasn't even aware of collapsing on Miley's shoulder as the two of them broke out in sobs, hugging each other in the doorway, neither of them wanting to believe that they may lost their friend before the night was out.

And then, in the midst of their crying, Lilly suddenly heard something. Once she realized what it was that she heard, she also realized that it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. It was more melodious than any lullaby, more beautiful than any phenomenon of nature, more amazing that any trick she could ever think to do on her skateboard.

It was the sound of Oliver's voice calling her name.

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**Awwww...at least I ended a sad (and lengthy) chapter on a happy note, right? Well, I hope the length isn't too bad (I kinda got carried away) and you guys like it enough to post tons of reviews like you have been lately. Again, congrats to Cheryl (chez1991). Sorry that your character didn't get a physical description since I didn't know what you looked like. But, I hope you appreciated it all the same. Continue to post those reviews! Love to all of you! **


	10. It's All My Fault

Chapter Ten: It's All My Fault

"Lilly..."

Lilly stood frozen in her spot, unable to move at all. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Mere seconds after hearing that her best friend could possibly die tonight, she hears him calling her name. She immediately turned around to see Oliver with his eyes open, smiling that adorable smile.

"OLIVER!" Lilly shouted, rushing forward. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, tears falling freely down her cheeks, never wanting to let go of him ever again.

"Oh my god, Oliver," Lilly choked out through her sobs. "I was so scared."

"Lilly..." he said again in a weak voice, wrapping his arms around her as well.

"Oh, Oliver," Lilly said. "Say my name again. Please."

"Lilly..." Oliver said again, and she could hear the happiness in his voice.

"Oliver, I was so, _so_ worried," Lilly said in a whisper. "Don't you _dare_ scare me like that again!"

"I won't, Lils," he replied weakly. "I...promise."

Lilly could not recall a time in her life where she had gone from being the saddest person on the face of the earth to being the happiest person on the face of the earth in less than five minutes. One second, she was told that Oliver was about to die, and not two minutes later, he's awake, calling out to her. But right now, she was, without a doubt, feeling the happiest she had ever felt in her life.

"Miley..." Oliver said as Lilly finally let go of him.

"Hey, Oliver," Miley said, hugging him, tears falling from her eyes as well. "We've all been worried sick about you."

"How long?" Oliver asked, too weak to finish the sentence.

"About 14 hours," Miley replied. "Lilly just woke up about two hours ago. Both of you were in a pretty bad state when you were brought in here. You'd been out for a bit it seemed, and the doctors said that Lilly passed out in the ambulance. You nearly slipped into a coma, and it's lucky that you didn't because the doctors didn't think you'd be able to come out of it!"

"Really?" Oliver asked, suddenly coughing. Lilly hesitated, but Oliver waved her off as the attack subsided.

"Are you okay?" Lilly asked, kneeling down next to him.

"I'm fine," Oliver replied. "Don't worry."

Lilly smiled and squeezed his hand affectionately. Oliver squeezed it back, smiling at her. Miley apparently took that as a sign that they should be left alone because she turned to them and said, "I'm going to go find the doctor. You two stay here, and I'll be back in a minute."

"Thanks, Miley," Oliver said, and Miley left the room. He turned to Lilly. "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Lilly said. "I'm more focused on you right now."

"Lilly..." Oliver started, but Lilly interrupted him.

"No, Oliver," she said. "I need to apologize. None of this would've have happened if--" Lilly stopped as her voice caught with sobs. "None of this would've happened if I hadn't been so careless. It's all my fault!"

"Lilly, please," Oliver said, but Lilly interrupted him again.

"No, don't try to tell me that it was all the robber's fault because it wasn't," Lilly said, tears of anger now spilling from her eyes. "I was the one who led them right to us. I was the one who told those reporters everything. You almost _died_ because of a stupid, careless mistake that I made! Why did I have to get so caught up in the moment? And I kept saying that you were being paranoid to worry about something that actually did end up happening! Why the hell am I such an IDIOT?"

She dissolved into tears, crying into her scratched and bruised hands. Oliver reached up and grabbed her hand with his own.

"Hey," he said softly. "Look at me." Lilly shook her head and continued crying. "Lils," Oliver said again, "look at me. Please."

Lilly sniffed, wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and finally looked at him. "What?" she asked.

"None of this was your fault. No, listen," he said as she started to shake her head again. "_Nothing _that happened to me or you is your fault."

"How can you say that, Oliver?" she asked angrily. "After everything that happened, including the news report! How can you say that it's not my fault?"

"Because," Oliver replied, trying to sit up a little straighter, "the way I look at it, the ones who are at fault are the ones who actually did this to me. And I don't recall you shooting me in the leg, beating me up, or nearly drowning me. I recall you giving me CPR, alerting someone that I was in trouble, and sacrificing your favorite hoodie so I wouldn't bleed to death." Lilly cracked a small smile. "Lils, you saved my life."

Lilly wiped her eyes again and smiled down at Oliver, who smiled back. "I guess you're right," she said.

"I just...I don't know...I think it's unfair that I was the one who told the reporters everything, and you were the one who got the worse end of the deal."

Oliver shook his head. "You don't need to worry about it," he said. "We're both fine now."

"I know," Lilly replied. "It was just...so scary when I heard Miley tell me that the doctor said you might not...live through the night." She sniffed, brushing away more stray tears that had formed. "If you had...well, you know...I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."

"But I'm okay, Lils," Oliver said. "And you're okay, and we're both going to get through this. In fact," he reached out and took her hand, "there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What?" Lilly asked.

"Well," Oliver began, "if all goes well and I can get out of here before too long, I would be honored if you would be my date to the back-to-school dance."

"Really?" Lilly said. "Oh god, Oliver, I have been waiting for you to ask me that for, like, two weeks now."

"You have?" Oliver asked. "Why?"

"Oh, you donut, can't you see?" Lilly said.

"See what?" Oliver asked. In response, Lilly leaned down and kissed him. Oliver found himself kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer to him, enjoying every minute of this kiss with his best friend. When they finally broke apart, Lilly's face was split into an enormous grin.

"See that I'm totally in love with you," Lilly replied, blushing slightly.

"Wow," Oliver said in shock. "That's odd, because recently I realized something as well." He kissed her again. "I'm totally in love with you, Lilly Truscott."

Lilly giggled as they kissed again. Oliver moved over on his hospital bed and Lilly climbed into next to him, laying her head on his chest, hearing the wonderful sound of his heart beating.

"Oliver," she said softly.

"Hmmm...?" Oliver replied sleepily.

"Promise me you'll never leave me."

Oliver kissed the top of her head and simply replied, "I promise," before both of them drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

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**Awww...ain't that sweet. I'm sorry if it's a little too cheesy, romantic scenes never were my strong point. But, I hope you enjoy it all the same. It looks like the next chapter is going to be the last one. But, never fear! I will be back soon after that with a whole new story. So, send in those replies while I sit here and write the final chapter just for you!**


	11. When You Look Me In the Eyes

**Thank you all SO much for your reviews. I hope you enjoy this next (and final) chapter of the story. It's based off of the song "When You Look Me In the Eyes" by the Jonas Brothers. (I just LOVE that song) Okay, enjoy!**

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Chapter Eleven: When You Look Me In the Eyes

The gym of Seaview High was full of elegantly-dressed students for the back-to-school dance. School was set to resume on that Monday and this was an opportunity for the students to see everyone again before the summer ended. Music blared through the area and everyone was dancing and having a good time.

At the entrance to the gym, many eyes turned to see Oliver and Lilly entering. Most of the students had seen Lilly's broadcast and heard the story of their kidnap and escape. All were amazed at the progress the two of them had made to allow them to come tonight.

Lilly was nearly fully healed, wearing a strapless aqua-colored dress that went down just below her knees. Her long blond hair cascaded down her bare shoulder in loose curls. Oliver, on the other hand, still wasn't fully done recovering. He almost hadn't been able to come to the dance. His leg still had some healing to do and, because of it, he was forced to remain in a wheelchair for another week or so. He didn't know if Lilly had wanted to come to the dance with him since he wouldn't be able to dance very well, but Lilly didn't care.

Miley had a Hannah concert that night and was unable to attend the dance. But Lilly and Oliver went together and entered the gym, hand in hand, which instantly alerted the other students of their relationship. Compliments were thrown at them from left and right.

"Glad you guys are feeling better!"

"Nice job, Oken! You finally asked her!"

"I always knew you two would end up together!"

"It's good to see you both here!"

Lilly smiled as she and Oliver made their way to the middle of the dance floor. The current fast song ended and a much slower song started to play. The DJ took the microphone.

"All right, everyone," he said. "This next song is a ladies' choice." He turned up the volume and girls were starting to find dance partners.

_If the heart is always searching_

_Can you ever find a home?_

_I've been looking for that someone_

_I'll never make it on my own_

_Dreams can't take the place of loving you_

_There's gotta be a million reasons why it's true_

"Oh my god! I _love_ this song!" Lilly exclaimed as everyone around them started pairing up. She turned to Oliver. "Would you like to dance?" she asked.

"You know what, I would," Oliver replied. "But I'm not going to be able to very well in this chair."

"What are you talking about?" Lilly asked. "Oliver, be careful. You could hurt your leg even more!"

"I'll be fine," Oliver insisted.

He gripped the handles of his chair very tightly, gritted his teeth, and pushed himself up. Lilly grabbed onto his shoulder to help steady him, but he shrugged it off. Lilly watched in amazement as Oliver got to his feet. He wobbled slightly, but quickly steadied himself and turned to face Lilly.

"Wow!" Lilly said in absolute amazement. "How did you—?"

"I'm just putting most of my weight on my other leg," Oliver replied. "Now, I believe a beautiful girl asked me to dance."

Lilly giggled and put her arms around his neck as they started to dance.

_When you look me in the eyes_

_And tell me that you love me_

_Everything's all right_

_When you're right here by my side_

_When you look me in the eyes_

_I catch a glimpse of heaven_

_I find my paradise_

_When you look me in the eyes_

"Oliver," Lilly said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yes?" Oliver asked.

"Thanks a lot for coming to the dance with me," she replied. "I know that the doctors all wanted you to stay home, and I think that it's really sweet that you wanted to come."

"Well, I didn't want you to have to miss out because of me," Oliver said. "And besides, I asked you to the dance. It would've been a little rude if I had asked you and then had to cancel, wouldn't it?"

"Well, not if you were physically incapable of coming," Lilly said. "I would've understood."

"But I'm not physically incapable, am I?" Oliver asked.

"Nope," Lilly replied, looking him in the eyes and smiling. "And I couldn't be happier that you're not."

Oliver smiled and Lilly rested her head on his shoulder again.

_How long will I be waiting_

_To be with you again?_

_I'm gonna tell you that I love you_

_In the best way that I can_

_I can't take a day without you here_

_You're the light that makes my darkness disappear_

"You know something, Lilly," Oliver said. "With everything that's happened these past few weeks, I can't help but think that something good came out of all of this."

"Really?" Lilly asked. "What's that?"

"Well, it wasn't until I thought Carl killed you did I realize that I loved you so much," Oliver replied.

"Really?" Lilly asked. "That's strange because I didn't realize that I loved you so much until I thought Jeremy was going to make me watch him kill _you_."

Oliver laughed. "I guess it just takes someone nearly being killed before you realize just how much you care about them."

"All I kept thinking was _I'm never going to get the chance to tell Oliver what he means to me_," Lilly said, her mood instantly changing as she thought of that horrible day. Oliver apparently noticed.

"Hey," he said, lifting her chin up. "It's okay. We don't have to talk about that day if you don't want to."

Lilly instantly smiled again. "Thanks, Oliver."

_When you look me in the eyes_

_And tell me that you love me_

_Everything's all right_

_When you're right here by my side_

_When you look me in the eyes_

_I catch a glimpse of heaven_

_I find my paradise_

_When you look me in the eyes_

"Hey," Oliver whispered into Lilly's ear. "Wanna step outside for a little more privacy?"

"Sure," Lilly replied.

"Okay," Oliver said. "Hold on a second." He eased himself back into his chair, glad to get his weight off of his injured leg, took Lilly's hand, and wheeled towards the door with Lilly following.

They went out to the back of the school by the football field. Several other couples were already there, most of them making out in secluded areas, clearly unaware of anything besides each other.

Oliver and Lilly went over to a section of bleachers. Oliver got out of his chair again and sat down on a stand. Lilly sat next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Now this is more like it," Oliver said.

_More and more_

_I start to realize_

_I can reach my tomorrow_

_I can hold my head up high_

_And it's all because you're by my side_

"You know something, Lilly?" Oliver asked.

"What is it, Oliver?" Lilly asked.

"I don't think I'd be here right now if it wasn't for you."

Lilly lifted her head off of his shoulder. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Well, other than the obvious fact that you saved me, there's something else I haven't told anybody." He took a deep breath and continued. "When I thought you were dead, I was all set to end my own life," Oliver replied, looking down at his feet. "I didn't want to live anymore if I didn't have you."

Lilly stared at him, and, for a moment, Oliver thought he had said the wrong thing. But then her face broke into an enormous smile.

"That may be the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life," she said. Oliver smiled back and the two of them leaned in a kissed each other passionately.

_When you look me in the eyes_

_And tell me that you love me_

_Everything's all right_

_When you're right here by my side_

_When I hold you in my arms_

_I know that it's forever_

_I just gotta let you know_

_I never wanna let you go_

As the night ended, Oliver took Lilly back to his house. "Come on, I want to take you somewhere special," he said, wheeling into his backyard. Lilly followed and stared in awe at what she was witnessing.

True, Lilly had been to Oliver's house numerous times, but she couldn't remember the last time she had been in the backyard on a clear, starry night. It was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen in her life.

"Meteor shower scheduled for tonight," Oliver said, getting a blanket and laying it out on the lawn. "They say it's a sight you shouldn't miss."

"Wow," Lilly said, walking over and sitting down next to Oliver on the blanket. The yard was on a slant, so both of them could lie down and get a good view of the sky. Lilly nestled up next to Oliver, who put his arm around her.

"Are you cold?" he asked her.

"No," she replied. "I'm just fine." She sighed and looked up at the sky. Suddenly, streaks of light started streaming across the inky blackness. "Look! The meteor shower is starting!"

And so, both of them laid back, glad to be able to share this moment with each other.

_Cuz when you look me in the eyes_

_And tell me that you love me_

_Everything's all right_

_When you're right here by my side_

_When you look me in the eyes_

_I catch a glimpse of heaven_

Lilly turned and looked Oliver deep in the eyes. "I love you, Oliver," she said.

Oliver turned and looked at her as well. "And I love you, Lilly," he replied. And the two of them shared one more kiss as the sky lit up all around them.

_I find my paradise_

_When you look me in the eyes_

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**I hope it's not too fruity. Like I said, romance isn't really my strong point. For those of you who love Miley, I'm sorry that I didn't have her in more of the story, considering this was a Loliver story. But, though it is over, I hope you continue to post those reviews. Give some of your ideas that you think I should write about for my next story. I would love to hear from you!**


	12. The End: An Author's Note

**Since **_**S.O.S. **_**has finally come to a close, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of my wonderful readers for the numerous posts and comments that I received from each and every one of you. I wouldn't have been able to complete this fanfic if I didn't have avid fans and readers out there. You are truly what makes a fanfic story successful and I am ever grateful that you were able to make mine as successful as it turned out to be. So, like I said at the end of Chapter Eleven, continue to post your thoughts. If you have an idea, but don't know how to turn it into a story, let me hear it and perhaps I can do something with it. (Don't worry, I would of course give you credit for the idea)**

**Once again, thank you all SO SO SO much from the bottom of my heart.**

**Sincerely Yours,**

**Stephanie a.k.a. iluvmusso4ever11390**


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